In the United States, clothes dryers typically include a rotatable drum in which wet clothes are tumbled as hot air is passed through the drum to remove moisture from the clothes. Drying cabinets are also known in the art, though are more popular in Japan than in the United States. Drying cabinets provide hot air for drying clothes hanging in the cabinet. Drying cabinets can also be used for de-wrinkling clothes by providing steam into the cabinet to remove wrinkles.
It has also been known to position a cabinet dryer adjacent a tumble dryer and connect an air duct from the tumble dryer to the cabinet dryer so as to direct the hot air from the tumble dryer to the cabinet dryer. However, the cabinet dryer cannot be operated independently of the tumble dryer in such a set up.
Accordingly, a primary objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved combination tumble and cabinet dryer.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of a combination tumble and cabinet dryer wherein the tumble and cabinet dryers can be operated independently of one another.
A further objective of the present invention is the provision of a clothes drying appliance having both a tumble dryer and a cabinet dryer housed within a cabinet so as to define a single portable unit.
Still another objective of the present invention is the provision of a clothes drying appliance with a tumble dryer and a cabinet dryer, with independent sources of hot air for each of the dryers.
Yet another objective of the present invention is the provision of a combination tumble and cabinet dryer wherein the cabinet dryer includes a shelf area and a hanging area.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of a combination tumble and cabinet dryer wherein the cabinet dryer extends along one side of the tumble dryer.
These and other objectives will become apparent from the following description of the invention.